“You’re going back to medical school? Why would you do that? Are you crazy?” Hopefully most people won’t react so strongly to your decision, but the question is probably still on their minds. And similar reservations are bound to pop into the heads of medical school admissions committee members reviewing your application. While the experiences…
Can You Submit Your AMCAS Application BEFORE Taking the MCAT?
It’s risky to apply to med school before taking or retaking the MCAT for a few reasons: 1. Applying to med school is expensive and time intensive. It’s hard to know where you might be a competitive applicant if you don’t know how your scores compare to other students at a school. Your practice scores…
6 Tips to Improve Your AMCAS Application Activities Section
It’s almost summer, and for me that means barbecues on the deck, specifically with the company of friends. I was recently enjoying a cook-out at one friend’s home in particular, and gracious as my hosts were, I felt a bit daunted by the huge piece of steak that filled my plate, accompanied by a small…
The Medical School Application “Deadline”
In just a few days, many of you will want to submit your medical school application. You’ve probably heard that you need to submit on the first day possible – May 31st, this year – if you want your best shot. But just how true is that? Medical School Admissions Myth vs. Reality It is…
Early Decision for Medical School: Does It Make Sense For You?
Do you have a dream school, the one place where you’ve always wanted to study medicine, and no other place will do? Do you have a compelling reason for this one program, maybe a spouse whose job requires them to be in this location or your only living family member is in the area? Or…
GPA Issues When Applying to Med School: What to do With a “W”
Almost everybody has a blemish on their GPA. Usually it’s a failed class or a semester of poor grades. But there’s also the issue of how a “W” on your transcript will affect your chance of admission to medical school. The truth is that withdrawing from one or two classes is not going to hurt…
How to Use Your Research Background to Get into Medical School
You’ve always been great at science and figured your research – whether in college, grad school, or professionally – would help you get into medical school. Now you find it a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you probably aced the MCAT science sections. On the other, you may be viewed (rightly or not) as…
How to Get into Medical School for Non-Science Majors
Will your undergraduate degree in Music, English, or Economics put you at a disadvantage when the time comes to apply to medical school? Not at all! Medical schools want well-rounded students with the potential to become passionate, dedicated physicians, and following your heart into art or another non-science discipline can demonstrate that you have varied…
7 Medical School Acceptances: The Early Bird’s Story
Cydney Foote, one of Accepted’s most experienced medical school admissions consultants, worked with a client, Ben (not his real name), during the 2016-2017 cycle. Ben started working on his personal statement in February and received medical school acceptances by October. He certainly had good grades and MCAT results, but he also actively maximized those assets by…
Med School Kicks Off: Ten Tips to Get You Through the Season
Medical school hopefuls are getting ready to work on those applications. This can be an awfully hectic time as you try to stay on top of everything. Here are ten tips to help you hit the ground running: 1. Get cozy with the AMCAS/AACOMAS. These two services (the acronyms stand for the American Medical Colleges…
Med School Applicants: It’s Not Too Late to Interview!
As the medical school application season progresses, you might be getting anxious, especially if you haven’t gotten the response you want yet. Don’t be discouraged. While it is late, medical schools are still (and will be for some time) inviting applicants to interview. Here are a few things that you can do to maximize your…
Tips for Applicants With a Low MCAT Score (Part 2)
To learn more about your options without retaking the exam, check out Part 1 of this series. Your MCAT score is crucial to making it to the interview stage of the medical school application process. For those with low MCAT scores who want to attend a US allopathic medical school, the only real option is retaking…
Tips for Applicants With a Low MCAT Score (Part 1)
Medical school applicants (or any other professional school applicant) must assess their credentials realistically to present themselves in the best possible way during the application process. Since applicants are evaluated based on specific quantitative (primarily undergraduate GPA and MCAT scores) and non-quantitative (research and clinical exposure, leadership skills, mentoring experiences) criteria as well as on…
3 Things to Watch for During Rotations
In the past, I’ve blogged about keeping a journal during your rotations. Here are three things you can watch for during your rotations that will get you in great shape for later: 1. Watch your attendings. What did your attending do today that struck you? This can be anything, from observing how they reacted to…
How Keeping a Journal as an M3 Can Save Your Residency Applications
What are you doing to prepare for the residency match? Chances are, you’re up to your eyeballs with rotations and exams and everything else that goes into finishing your medical degree. Chances are, you’re really not thinking much about your personal statement. Not to sound like a Bowflex commercial, but what if I told you…
3 Tips for Requesting Residency Letters of Recommendation
Have you started collecting recommendation letters yet? The LoR Portal explains the process of submitting your letters to ERAS, but how can you ensure that you receive the strongest possible recommendation letter? 1. Ask as early as possible. Your recommenders are busy people, and you don’t want to wait until the last minute to add your request…
Secondary Strategy: Why Do You Want To Go Here?
One of the most popular secondary questions asked by medical schools is “why our program?” Saying why you’re attracted to a particular school can be a hard thing to explain, especially when you’ve looked at so many programs that they’ve all begun to blur. I think that’s why I so often see the same answer:…
First Drafts of Personal Statements: Let Yourself Go
Writing the first draft of your personal statement is probably the hardest part of the whole application process. And it makes sense – it’s not easy to capture so much of your experience onto a single page. Moving Your First Draft from Just OK to Simply Spectacular I’ve read hundreds of first drafts over the…
13 Postbac Program Recommendations
As the clock winds down for medical school admission decisions, many applicants are wondering what’s next. Post-baccalaureate programs can be a great way to strengthen a future application, as well as to take advantage of dedicated professional development opportunities. However, you’ll need to act fast if you hope to join a program this year. Here…
Meaningful Experiences For Medical School Applicants
Part of your AMCAS application requires that you write about your “meaningful experiences.” Do you want to create a winning AMCAS application? Then let’s jump right into learning about how to choose and write about your experiences… “I became a better listener from volunteering on help lines.” “Joining the college debate team enhanced my ability…
